Voyaggora
Best months by city
| City | Best months | Hottest month | Wettest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| San José, Costa Rica | January to March and December (weather data only) | April, 81°F (27°C) | September, about 29 rainy days |
| Guanacaste | January to March and December (weather data only) | April, 96°F (36°C) | October, about 30 rainy days |
| La Fortuna, Costa Rica | January to April and December (weather data only) | April, 83°F (28°C) | July, about 31 rainy days |
| Manuel Antonio | January to March and December (weather data only) | March, 86°F (30°C) | October, about 30 rainy days |
| Monteverde | January to April (weather data only) | April, 74°F (23°C) | October, about 30 rainy days |
Each city name opens its own month-by-month table. Heat is the average daytime high; rainy days are days with at least 1 mm of rain. Cities marked "weather data only" have not yet been checked against crowds, closures or local seasons.
Every month at a glance
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San José, Costa Rica | Best | Best | Best | Okay | Okay | Avoid | Okay | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Okay | Best |
| Guanacaste | Best | Best | Best | Avoid | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Avoid | Okay | Best |
| La Fortuna, Costa Rica | Best | Best | Best | Best | Okay | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid | Okay | Avoid | Avoid | Best |
| Manuel Antonio | Best | Best | Best | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Avoid | Okay | Best |
| Monteverde | Best | Best | Best | Best | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Okay | Avoid | Okay | Okay |
Best = the city's best months. Avoid = very hot, very cold or among the wettest months. Okay = neither. Hover or tap a cell for the reason.
Costa Rica month by month
- January
- At its best in San José, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, La Fortuna, Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio and Monteverde (5 of 5).
- February
- At its best in San José, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, La Fortuna, Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio and Monteverde (5 of 5).
- March
- At its best in San José, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, La Fortuna, Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio and Monteverde (5 of 5).
- April
- At its best in La Fortuna, Costa Rica and Monteverde (2 of 5). Worth avoiding: Guanacaste (very hot, 96°F (36°C)).
- May
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month.
- June
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: San José, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 28 rainy days); La Fortuna, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 30 rainy days).
- July
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: La Fortuna, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 31 rainy days).
- August
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: San José, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 28 rainy days); La Fortuna, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 30 rainy days).
- September
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: San José, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 29 rainy days).
- October
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: San José, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 29 rainy days); Guanacaste (among the wettest, 30 rainy days); La Fortuna, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 30 rainy days); Manuel Antonio (among the wettest, 30 rainy days); Monteverde (among the wettest, 30 rainy days).
- November
- None of the cities we cover is at its best this month. Worth avoiding: La Fortuna, Costa Rica (among the wettest, 30 rainy days).
- December
- At its best in San José, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, La Fortuna, Costa Rica and Manuel Antonio (4 of 5).
Plan your trip
Open a city guide for tours, hotels and what to do there:
- San José, Costa Rica guide
- Guanacaste guide
- La Fortuna, Costa Rica guide
- Manuel Antonio guide
- Monteverde guide
Booking airport transfers or excursions in Costa Rica? Book with Amstar, a destination specialist for Arenal, Guanacaste, Manuel Antonio and more. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
More ways to book in Costa Rica: car rental on VIP Cars and self-guided city games from City Game. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
More from around the world for Costa Rica: package holidays from Eurowings Holidays (German site) and long-haul tours from Explorer (German site). We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
See today's travel advisory for Costa Rica (government warnings, checked every 2 minutes).
Costa Rica: common questions
- When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
- The best time to visit Costa Rica is January to March: all 5 of the cities we cover are at their best then. By city: San José, Costa Rica, January to March and December; Guanacaste, January to March and December; La Fortuna, Costa Rica, January to April and December; Manuel Antonio, January to March and December; Monteverde, January to April. Cities marked weather data only have a pick based on temperature and rain alone, not yet checked against crowds or local seasons.
- When is the hottest month in Costa Rica?
- It depends on the city. The hottest month is March in Manuel Antonio; April in San José, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, La Fortuna, Costa Rica and Monteverde (average daytime highs, 2019-2024).
- When is the rainy season in Costa Rica?
- The wettest month, counted in days with at least 1 mm of rain, is July in La Fortuna, Costa Rica; September in San José, Costa Rica; October in Guanacaste, Manuel Antonio and Monteverde. Open the city guide for the full month-by-month table.
- Is there a month that is good everywhere in Costa Rica?
- Yes: January to March, when all 5 cities we cover are at their best.
How we worked this out
Temperatures and rainy days come from Open-Meteo ERA5 records for 2019-2024 for each city. Where a city's best months were checked by hand against crowds and local seasons, that is the pick shown; otherwise the pick is based on weather alone and is marked. Weather changes from year to year, so treat this as a planning guide, not a forecast.